Automatic water temperature control



June 23, 1942. J. colLE Er-AL AUTOMATIC WATER TEMPERATURE CONTROL Filed Jan. 30, 1941- Ismaefitor JOHN J. com:

33 RAYMOND F. ATKINSON Gttorneg Patented June 23, 1942 WATER TEMPERATURE CONTROL V 2 2 John J. Coile and Raymond F. Atkinson,

Mount Vernon, Ohio I Application January 30, 1941, Serial No. 376,648

3 Claims. (01. 236-12) UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIc This invention relates generally to thermostatically lcontrolled means and is designed more particularly for controlling and regulating the temperature of water used in shower or tub baths but is useful for any domestic or commercial purpose where hot and cold water or other liquids are to be mixed to be discharged or used at a desired and substantially uniform temperature.

In the plumbing of modern dwellings and buildings the pressure of the hot and cold water is substantially equal, hence by properly proportioning the quantities discharged into a vessel or chamber any desired resulting intermediate temperature can be-obtained. Hence when the thermostatic element with other elements as herein described is preliminarily set within the mixed water to be used, the resultant tempera ture thereof is automatically regulated and maintained by the behavior of the thermostatic element because of the tendency of that element to respond to fortuitous or accidental variation in the temperature of one of the waters.

The object of the invention is to provide asimple and economical construction whereby the results indicated can be achieved.

. In its preferred form the invention is embodied as shown in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the front side thereof.

I to receive pin 20 and connecting said bar with Fig.--2 isgenerally a vertical section on the some parts broken out.

Fig, 3 is generally a vertical section on the line 11-11 Fig. l with-some parts in full and line IIIIII Fig. 2, with a control valve in the of hot water to the casing. The open ends of the pipes 8 and 8 are spaced apart but alined horizontally with each other for the purpose hereinafter appearing. The outlet 9 for the mixed water is conveniently located in the top cap and said outlet can be provided with an ordinary stop cock 9, (see Fig. 3). a

The character [0 designates a lever bifurcate at its upper end and fulcrumed at its lower end on a suitable bar extended diametrically between ornosite sides of the casing. Said bar or ful crum, in the instance shown, consists of two telescoping tubes ll and .l2 with a pressure spring l3 in the larger tube'tending, when the bar is longitudinally compressed, to force opposite open ends of. the bar onto supporting pins l4 and. M fixed in the diametrically opposite sides of the wall of the casing. This construction of the means for supporting the,lever l0 favors the assembling and removal of the parts when and if necessary'for repair, replacement orcleansingp Supported by means of a pin in an opening in the lever ID are two valves l5iand l5 normally standing equidistant from the discharge opening of the inlet pipes 8 and 8 and in such proximity to said openings as to equalize or to vary the rate of flow of water from said pipes into the casing according to the position of said lever Ill. The said valves l5 and I5" are connected together by means of a bar 22 and said bar is perforated at its middle with a vertically elongated slot the valves with the lever ill, but said bar can be omitted and the valves actuated by contacts of the lever ill with said valves. Guiding 'pins I6 and I6?- engaging the valves l5 and I5 and nuts on the inner ends of the pipes 8 and 8 (see Fig. 4) can be provided to aid in holding said valves in parallel position. Obviously such guiding pins for the valves can be fixed either in the nut or in the valve so as to be movable with respect to the other. It will be observed that the portion of the lever l8 above the connection of the valve stem 22 is much longer than the portion of the bar from said stem to the fulcrum of the bar. By reason of this construction and the consequent distance of the thermostat from the intakes the action of the water on the thermostatic element is much more uniform and sonsitively effective in its action on and control of the valves.. Because of the distance of the upward flow of the two Waters due to the lengthy arm ID, the waters become more thoroughly mixed to a uniform temperature by the time they reach the neighborhood of the said thermostatic element.

The thermostatic element is indicated at II, it being'of the usual thermostatic bimetal in'the form of a volute and having the end of its inner coil fixed at l8 to one end of a shaft l8, the other end of which latter extends through a suitable bushing to the exterior of the casing where it i provided with. a finger actuated button l9 formed with a pointer at IS". The said finger button and its pointer cooperate with a plate 20' fixed at 2i on the casing, said plate being when the pointer is set the temperature of the water to be obtained or to be discharged upon the opening of the cock 9 inthe outlet pipe.

The end of the outer or larger coil of the thermostat is bent-to extend into and engage thecorner of the bifurcation or fork of the lever l0, and by turning the finger button I9 to the right or left, the pressure of the coil is varied and canbe left fixed to secure a mixture of cold and hot water of the temperature desired.

The forms and number of the parts can be changed and parts omitted without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What we claim is:

1. Means for thermostatically controlling the mixture of hot and cold liquids including in combination, a vertically extending casing having in the opposite sides of its lower portion axially alined inlets for hot and cold liquids into said casing and a controllable outlet for the mixed liquid at its upper end, 'a rigid lever having a forked upper end and fulcrummed at its lower end in the lower portion of said casing, a pair of axially alined valves for said inlets connected with the lower portion of'said lever said valves rectilinearly operable in both directions by .mflxture of hot and cold liquids including in combination; a vertically extending casing having axially alined inlets thereto in the opposite fixed at one end in the upper portion of said casing and connected at its other end by contact bination, a vertically extending casing having in .marked with a scale indicating or suggesting sides of the lower portion thereof for hot and cold liquids and an outlet for the mixed liquids at the upper end of said casing, a rigid lever having a forked upper end and fulcrummed at its lower end in the lower portion of said casing,

a valve for each of said inlets connected with-- the lower portion of said lever and actuatable in both directions by said lever for varying the proportions of the-flow ofliquid intov said casing, and a volute bi-metallic thermostatic element only in the forked upper end of said lever for actuating said lever and the valves in both directions.

3. Means for thermostatically controlling the mixture of hot and cold liquids including in comthe opposite sides of the lower portion thereof axially alined inlets for the hot and cold liquids respectively into said casing, and a controllable outlet for the mixed liquids in the upper end'of said casing. a sp i g actuated removable fulcrum for said lever in the lower end of said casing, a rigid lever mounted on said fulcrum and carrying at its lower portion a pair of valves for said inlets actuatable in both directions by said lever for varying the proportions of the flow of liquid into said casing, said lever having a forked upper end a thermostatic element adjustably fixed at one end in the upper portion of 'said casing and engaging at its other end by contact only the fork of the upper end of said lever for actuating said lever and said valves, and a removable cover for the lower end of said casing whereby the said fulcrum, the lever and valves can be-removed from said casing independently of-the thermostatic element.

JOHN J. Conn. RAYMOND ATKINSON. 

